You’ve landed in New Zealand, dropped your bags and worked out where to buy groceries. Then the practical questions start. Can you open a bank account while you’re staying in temporary accommodation? What should you check at a rental viewing? How soon can you get online once you move in? A few things are worth getting started straight away. Others are easier to sort out once you have a permanent address.

Get a local number and sort out payroll

A New Zealand SIM or eSIM makes it easier to arrange rental viewings, take calls from employers and coordinate deliveries. If your overseas number still receives verification codes for banking or other accounts, keep it active until you’ve checked that you can sign in another way.

If you’re starting work, ask your employer when they need your bank details and Inland Revenue Department (IRD) number.

Check what identification and proof of address your chosen bank accepts, especially if you’re staying with friends or in short-term accommodation. Inland Revenue has a separate application route for eligible new arrivals, so it’s worth checking early whether you qualify. www.immigration.govt.nz

Look beyond the weekly rent

If you’re choosing between neighbourhoods, try the commute at the time you’d normally leave for work. At a viewing, ask how the home is heated, who pays for water and what’s included in the rent.

If you’ll be working from home, look for somewhere to put a desk and ask whether the property already has a fibre box. For an apartment or subdivided house, get the full unit address so you can check broadband availability for the right property.

At the start of the tenancy, walk through the property with the landlord or agent. Record existing damage on the inspection report, take photos and keep a copy. It’s much easier to document a mark on the wall or a cracked tile before you’ve moved your belongings in.

Book broadband once you have an address

In New Zealand, the company that runs the fibre network is usually different from the company that sells you broadband. Chorus, Enable, Tuatahi First Fibre and Northpower Fibre operate wholesale networks in different parts of the country. Internet service providers (ISPs) such as Spark, One NZ and 2degrees sell plans over those networks.

You order from the ISP, which handles billing and support and coordinates with the network operator if an installation is needed. Several ISPs can serve the same home over the same fibre line, so a network operator’s name on the wall box doesn’t tell you which retail plan to buy.

“If you’re moving into an apartment, check the exact unit before you order. A building can have fibre even if your flat still needs an installation,” says Tomas Novosad, the founder and lead researcher at Fibre Broadband NZ. “If you’re working from home that first week, ask the provider for an activation date before you count on being online.”

Use your full address, including the unit number, to compare fibre broadband plans at your new address. If there’s already a fibre box inside, tell the ISP when you order and ask when it can activate the service. If the property needs a new installation, ask about lead times and any permissions needed. That’s worth doing before move-in day if you’re counting on the connection for work.

Set up the services you’ll use regularly

Arrange for electricity to start on your move-in date and confirm how water is handled at the property. Once you know your neighbourhood, look for a nearby GP practice and ask whether it’s taking new patients.

If you’re moving with children, contact schools while you’re still looking at properties, especially if a school’s enrolment zone could affect where you choose to live.

Get to know your neighbourhood

Spend a Saturday morning doing the things you’ll do most weeks. Walk to the supermarket, find the nearest bus stop and see what’s open when you’re likely to finish work. Try the local library, a weekend market or a sports club if you’re looking for a way to meet people. Having a few familiar places to go makes the neighbourhood feel more like home.

Once you can get paid, get to work and get online at home, the move starts to feel less like a project. The rest of settling in can happen at your own pace.